Kimberly Johnson notes one concern countries face as they are deciding whether or not to fortify foods to reduce NTDs in newborns. This has to do with the possibility that fortification may cause unintended harm, such as causing new cancers or pre-cancerous lesions. She says more research is needed to answer that question.
Lynette Summerill is an award-winning writer and Scuba enthusiast living in San Diego, CA with her husband and two beach loving dogs. In addition to writing about cancer-related issues for EmpowHER, her work has been seen in newspapers and magazines around the world.
Sources and more information:
March of Dimes. Folic Acid: Take Folic Acid Before You're Pregnant. Accessed May 21, 2012. Available at: http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/folicacid_before.html
Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intake: folate, other B vitamins, and choline. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1998. PDF version at :
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45184
What you should know about Folic Acid. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/index.html and; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Spina bifida and anencephaly before and after folic acid mandate---United States, 1995--1996 and 1999--2000. MMWR 2004;53: 362--5.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5317a3.htm
Quinlivan EP and Gregory JF. Reassessing folic acid consumption patterns in the United States (1999-2004): potential effect on neural tube defects and overexposure to folate. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86: 1773-9. Access at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18065598
Coalition petitions FDA to fortify corn masa flour with folic acid. March of Dimes Media Release. April 23, 2012. Accessed at: http://phys.org/wire-news/96637353/coalition-petitions-fda-to-fortify-co...
Childhood Cancer Incidence Trends in Association With US Folic Acid
Fortification (1986 −2008). Amy M. Linabery, Kimberly J. Johnson and Julie A. Ross.
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